Memories...and Bloggy Friends

WOW, seems like it was just yesterday…but it was 4 yrs ago. Four years ago that OG was in the NICU…I was there all day every day for 8.5 weeks with monitors going off around me…trying to keep focused on my child, but curious about all of the other babies in our pod and their situation…but not staring too closely b/c you are not supposed to…but it is so hard when there are 4 babies or more to a pod. I always wondered…Why did they come early? What issues did they have? How much did they weigh when they were born?

Why am I talking about this today? 4 yrs later? Because I was BACK at the NICU today 4 yrs later. I am on the NICUPAC (NICU Parent Advisory Council). I go in once or twice a year to speak at the little luncheons they have every 2 weeks or so for the Moms who have babies there. I go in, meet them, tell my story about OG, her delivery, her procedures while there, what she went through, when she came home, how she is doing now etc etc etc. It gives them so hope to know that things do get better.

When I was there with OG, these luncheons were a saving grace…1) it got you away from the baby’s bedside for an hour or so and out to meet other Moms and 2) it gave you a chance to know “I am not alone”. It was always so nice to hear the stories from the Mom’s of NICU graduates and how their kids were now…1, 3, 5 or 6 yrs later. I always cried when hearing their stories and the other Mom’s stories. And today was no different. Telling OG’s story I tried to be strong but I could feel the “ugly face cry”, as Oprah calls it, coming on…but I got through it. And I think it helped some of the Moms. And then hearing some of their stories, I also cried…one baby was born at 24 wks and had been there 107 days, wow….another was born a 1 lb 9 oz and had only been there 2 days….all so sad. But the one thing that made me stop crying was THIS story. The girl was telling how she had her baby at 30 wks…she was feeling bad…went to the bathroom and POP, out comes her baby…she was home alone and delivered it HERSELF!!! HERSELF PEOPLE! AND….duh duh duh…wait for it…She didn’t even KNOW she was pregnant!!!! My mouth was agape and I TRIED NUMEROUS time to close it but as her story went on, it kept dropping closer and closer to the floor. This girl seemed pretty put together…she talked about how she worked out a gym with her trainer and seemed to have a good job etc…she said she had taken tests before and still got her period each month…so go figure! So good for her! And she looked GREAT!! She had just had this baby on Saturday too.

But one of the best things about today was seeing 2 of my blog world reads. One is Love and Labs…go visit her and tell her CONGRATS on her sweet twins!! I know her from the Junior League here and she is actually a XO alum too. I randomly found her blog one day by reading another blog and then linking to another blog and she had commented on that blog and then I went to her blog and was all like “WOW, I KNOW HER” So Funny. So anyway, I knew she had her babies this weekend….and it was great that I was to be speaking at the NICU lunch while she was there. She happened to have her friend with her, Mad About Plaid Girl….who’s blog I also read!! She was in town visiting. So it was an exciting day! Go say hey to Mad About Plaid too. She is a hoot. Tell her I sent ya in your comments!